Samuel G. Havermale

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Samuel G. Havermale (October 15, 1824 – January 13, 1904) was a Methodist minister and early pioneer in Spokane, Washington.

He was born in Sharpsburg, Maryland, and his family moved to Montgomery County, Ohio, in 1833. He grew up there, studied locally, and later attended Rock River Seminary in Mount Morris, Illinois. On November 1, 1849, he married Elizabeth Goldthrop, who already had four children.

In 1873 Havermale moved to Washington Territory to serve as pastor of the church in Walla Walla. He preached the first sermon to white settlers at Spokane Falls and soon moved there with his family, where he preached until 1879. His pre-emption land became part of the center of Spokane.

He served as the first president of Spokane’s city council. After leaving the ministry, he became a mill owner, building a six-story mill with a capacity of 800 barrels a day. He sold the mill in 1887, briefly lived in San Diego, and then returned to Spokane. In 1902 he was involved in a Washington state Supreme Court case. He died in Spokane on January 13, 1904.

Havermale and Elizabeth had three children. Havermale High School, Havermale Island, and Havermale Park are named after him.